The Hobbit

Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless. Soon he joins the wizard’s band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all.

A grand literary adventure!

What a comforting audiobook. How nice it is when you buy an audiobook that repays you with a great story and a comforting and riviting reader/actor. ..Show More »I had never read "The Hobbit" before so I had only a vague familiarity of the characters to start my literary adventure, but let me tell you how wonderful and exciting it was to go along with Bilbo, Gandalf, (and the Dwarves) Thorin, Fili, Kili, Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Ori, Dori, Nori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur. We met up with the Elves, Wargs, Goblins, Trolls, Humans and Smaug the dragon who lives in the Mountain that he had stolen from the Dwarves many years before. Oh I miss it already. I guess it's a great thing that I have a bad memory so I can enjoy this one again before too long (LOL). I refuse to spoil the story for you so I will have to leave off after adding that I hope you give this book a chance, that is only if your up for a grand literary adventure.

The Hobbit, Part 1

Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out onto the floor when he caught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to be sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance! Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

Enchanting children's tale, beautifully read

Superb! One of the classic children's fantasy tales, set in a rich and enchanting world of dwarves, goblins, wizards, elves, and dragons, along with t..Show More »he most unlikely of heroes, Bilbo Baggins the hobbit.

The recording is beautifully done. Rob Inglis's voice is pleasant and relaxed, and he reads at a leisurely and comfortable pace. The character voices are generally appropriate and varied, although some of the dwarves were not what I expected. Most surprising of all, Inglis actually SINGS the songs, giving an extra touch of character and authenticity.

A word of caution: While the story is set in the same world as the Lord of the Rings and relates events a generation earlier, this is not merely a prequel in the same style. This is a fun children's tale, written for a younger readership.

To be read before you have lost your childlikeness, and reread many times to keep regaining it.

The Hobbit, Part 2

Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out onto the floor when he caught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to be sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance! Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

Capitalism run amok

Tokien and the Hobbit are wonderful, and there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been written. However, Audible.com deserves scorn for the blat..Show More »ant money-grab move of splitting this into two parts just prior to the release of the new movie.

The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume in the trilogy, tells of the fateful power of the One Ring. It begins a magnificent tale of adventure that will plunge the members of the Fellowship of the Ring into a perilous quest and set the stage for the ultimate clash between the powers of good and evil.

At last - The Definitive Recording!

There are a number of Lord of the Rings recordings out there, including a superb dramatization by the BBC. But there is only ONE set of unabridged rec..Show More »ordings of the trilogy -- from Recorded Books and read by Rob Inglis. For many years, I've treasured the set of these recordings I have on compact disc. But never before now have I been able to find them for audio download -- until now!!! Words cannot express how thrilled I am to listen to the Lord of the Rings on my iPod (and on my Kindle too!) Audible members who have never yet heard the saga read in its entirety, you are in for a very special treat indeed! In a whole new way will you enjoy the story you've read years ago and have seen transformed into the motion pictures. It'll be almost as if you're experiencing the story for the very first time.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Volume 1: The Ring Sets Out

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

A joy to hear

The reader has done a marvelous job. I had struggled through the book many years ago and had eventually, after persevering for several years (!) reach..Show More »ed the end, but this book tripped through my headphones like sweet music.
In fact that is one of the aspects of the book that I most enjoyed. The reader does a marvelous job of singing the many songs that are recounted in the book and, instead of simply seeming a way to pad out the story, they become an intrinsic part of the narration. For this aspect of the audiobook alone I would highly recommend this title!

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Volume 2: The Ring Goes Forth

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

A joyous listen

This review is pretty much the same as my review of Book 1 of this series since, to my mind, they are one book.
The reader has done a marvelous..Show More » job. I had struggled through the book many years ago and had eventually, after persevering for several years (!) reached the end, but this book tripped through my headphones like sweet music.
In fact that is one of the aspects of the book that I most enjoyed. The reader does a marvelous job of singing the many songs that are recounted in the book and, instead of simply seeming a way to pad out the story, they become an intrinsic part of the narration. For this aspect of the audiobook alone I would highly recommend this title!

The Two Towers: Book Two in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

The Two Towers is the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga, The Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship has been forced to split up. Frodo and Sam must continue alone towards Mount Doom, where the One Ring must be destroyed. Meanwhile, at Helm’s Deep and Isengard, the first great battles of the War of the Ring take shape. In this splendid, unabridged audio production of Tolkien’s great work, all the inhabitants of a magical universe - hobbits, elves, and wizards - spring to life. Rob Inglis’ narration has been praised as a masterpiece of audio.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Volume 1: The Treason of Isengard

Frodo and the Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. Now they continue their journey alone down the great River Anduin, alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.

third book of the series

Audible have divided LOTR into six separate audiobooks. They aren't really separate books, but sections of the same book, so you need to read them in ..Show More »order, they won't make sense otherwise. This is the third book. (Start with "Fellowship of the Ring book 1")

Rob Inglis has a very traditional english voice and reads in a very measured way. I am a fan of Tolkien, and enjoy this reading, but if you have only seen the films, you may find it a bit slow.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Volume 2: The Ring Goes East

Frodo and the Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. Now they continue their journey alone down the great River Anduin, alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.

Quite the run-around

I appreciate the convenience of audiobooks and the many advantages (mostly that you can continue reading while doing other activities) and in the case..Show More » of Lord of the Rings in particular having a suitable narrator such as Rob Inglis brings things like the songs alive, but in the end nothing beats a real book.

The Return of the King: Book Three in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

The Return of the King is the towering climax to J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy that tells the saga of the hobbits of Middle-earth and the great War of the Rings. In this concluding volume, Frodo and Sam make a terrible journey to the heart of the Land of the Shadow in a final reckoning with the power of Sauron. In addition to narrating the prose passages, Rob Inglis sings the trilogy’s songs and poems a capella, using melodies composed by Inglis and Claudia Howard, the Recorded Books studio director.

Finally!

I've listened to Fellowship and Two Towers on audiobook by the same narrator, and I had been trying to find Return of the King on CD from a bunch of d..Show More »ifferent libraries and no such luck- but now it's finally here!

Rob Inglis does a wonderful job as the reader, and gives the characters their own voice. I've read the books before and enjoyed them, so I knew that I would like this story- but if you have never read the books before then I definitely reccomend listening to this version. :)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Volume 1: The War of the Ring

The Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures as the quest continues. Aragon, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard, and took part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by orcs, escaped into Fangorn Forest and there encountered the Ents. And all the time the armies of the Dark Lord are massing.

Inglis sounds like Tolkien!

As far as I know, this is the only unabridged reading of LOTR, so if you want unabridged this is the one to go for! (if you want abridged, try the BBC..Show More » full cast dramatisation).

Rob Inglis has a very traditional english voice - similar to Tolkien's own. He reads in a very measured way. Not only does he read the entire book (apart from the appendices), he also sings all of the songs. I think that he suits the reading, but I find sometimes he doesn't differentiate the characters enough, and the pace is not fast. I also find that he makes the hobbits a bit too "yokel" (rural english accent) for me.

That said, I enjoyed this audiobook and would recommend it. The only thing to be aware of is that Audible have divided it into six separate audiobooks, so to listen to the whole of LOTR, you are going to have to buy them all.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Volume 2: The End of the Third Age

The Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures as the quest continues. Aragon, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard, and took part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by orcs, escaped into Fangorn Forest and there encountered the Ents. And all the time the armies of the Dark Lord are massing.

Expertly Read

I have listened to all 6 books in the Lord of the Rings series, and the narrator deserves an Oscar. He has done a brilliant job, bringing the story to..Show More » life and keeping the interest going. Tolkien's masterpiece is best told in his own words.